Sunday, June 13, 1999
Sunday, June 13, 1999
This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it
day and night. (Joshua 1:8
NRSV)
One day he hit upon a scheme. He summoned all his followers, and sent for the wise man. The
king asked the wise man, "Oh, wisest of men, tell me this. I have the tiniest of birds cupped
between my hands. I command you to tell me if the bird is alive or dead?"
The wise man realized that if he said, "Alive," the king would give one quick squeeze and the bird
would be dead. If he said, "Dead," the king would simply open his hand and release the bird. The
king would use either answer from the wise man to make him look bad. The wise man pondered
for a moment. The king grew impatient. "Well," demanded the king, "Is the bird alive or dead?"
The wise man replied, "The choice is in your hand, your Majesty. The choice is in your hand!"
Do you know how much God loves us? He loves us so much that he has let us decide completely
what we do with our lives, with the things we own, with time, with everything in this world. The
choice is in our hand. But he has provided us with a book of wisdom that tells us the best possible
way to live our lives. It is called the Bible. This book tells us how to have a life that is wonderful.
Wonderful, that is the kind of life God wants for each of us. The choice is ours!
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA
I want to tell you one of my favorite stories. It is about a king and a wise man. The king didn't like
this wise man. He was too popular with the people and the king was jealous. The king tried to
think of a way he could make the wise man look bad.
Prayer: Loving God, give me the heart to have a wonderful life and to share it for your
honor and glory. Amen.
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